Samaritas strongly believes we need to uphold America’s legacy of welcoming refugees. For 72 years we have been serving refugee children and families, and we will continue to do so as long as there is a need. 

Refugee Resettlement is a lifeline that the US provides for the most vulnerable refugees at a time of unprecedented global crisis:

• The majority of refugees are hosted in developing countries; resettlement is a relatively modest – yet lifesaving – way for America to demonstrate its support for people fleeing persecution and the countries hosting them.
• Resettlement also upholds America’s commitment for the interpreters, translators, cultural advisors, and others who have risked their lives to support U.S. military and diplomatic missions abroad, many of whom have since been targeted for this support.
• Welcoming refugees sets a positive example for other countries to follow, helping to ensure pro-refugee policies in countries hosting the majority of refugees, thereby discouraging premature and unsafe return that only further cycles of violence, instability, and displacement.

Refugees strengthen the economy:

• While the primary purpose of refugee resettlement is humanitarian, it also has positive economic effects.
• Refugees revitalize cities and towns across America.
• Refugees contribute more in taxes over the course of their first 20 years in the US than they receive in benefits.
• Refugees are reliable and enthusiastic employees: they have a 7-15% lower turnover rate than the overall workforce in key industries.
• Refugees are also job creators, with entrepreneurship rates nearly 30% higher than among the US-born population.

Welcoming refugees is who we are as Americans:

• Resettlement is a bipartisan tradition: Democratic and Republican presidents have, on average, committed to welcoming 95,000 refugees annually.
• America has always welcomed people from around the world who yearn for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety, freedom, and dignity.
• Welcoming refugees sends a powerful signal to the world about America’s values of tolerance and acceptance.
• In the 40 years since the Refugee Admissions Program was established, the U.S. has welcomed more than 3 million refugees from around the world.